''Led by God to Do Me''

I had the freedom to make a Run album, because God loves me that way... I had
to be smart enough to know to just make a record that sounds like [Run-DMCs]
Raising Hell.
After losing legendary DJ Jam Master Jay to a gunshot in 2002, Run-DMCs Run (a.k.a. Joseph Simmons) is stepping out next month with a new solo album, Distortion, co-produced by an unknown beatnut named Whiteboy. Expect the patented thunderous drum loops and rap-rock hybrid that gave Run-DMC classics King of Rock and Raising Hell their genre-freaking spines. But context is everything, and times have changed  especially now that Run is theReverend Run, a Pentecostal minister channeling Tha Lord on the regular. And hes doing it everywhere these days: Distortions first single, Mind on the Road, is getting play from EA Sports newest Madden NFL installment, and the good Reverend has landed  with help from brother Russell Simmons and P. Diddy  MTVs first hip-hop reality show, Runs House, due later this year.
L.A. WEEKLY:Word is Distortion recaptures the
ferocity of Run-DMC.REVEREND RUN: Led by God to do me. I love to use that Anita Baker
quote; I think about it all the time. Thats what I did on this album. I didnt
get any new producers  no Pharrell, no Timbaland, no trying to impress the youth
or anything like that. Just Run rapping over beats, some scratches and guitar
riffs. Dont worry about the time difference, dont worry about the generation
gap.
Whats the nature of the distortion youre exploring?
It starts off: I got a rhyme for the users/Those they call losers/Those
that got bruises/Those they call useless/Blown their last fuses/Fooled but not
foolish/I got a rhyme for the homeless/Homes thats called hopeless/Stoned and
still dopeless/Broke like the brokers.
Its a record that talks about how the world is pretty distorted, how things have gone on since 9/11. Not just tell you that its all gone crazy, but that its also still in order. Its just distorted, and people dont understand whats going on. Its a time of uncertainty, with tsunamis and bombings.The record is a psychedelic release filled with beats, guitars and craziness. It has no set patterns. Sometimes the vocals go through a machine that makes them sound funny. Its crazy and full of creativity.
Its great youre avoiding the polish thats dominating hip-hop today.
Thats why Im Reverend Run. Thats why its eccentric, thats why its weird.
Thats why its different. Im not afraid to be rejected.
Do you think todays cats are trying too hard to sound like each other?
I dont really get into that. If its Snoop Doggs Drop It Like Its Hot, Im
in love. Jay-Z drops a smash? Im happy. Or if Cassidy sounds like Jay-Z, but
the records called Ima Hustla, and it feels good, Im like, Wow, he pulled
that off. If you can pull off a record that sounds like Jay-Z and you feel good
because it looks good on BET, MTV or wherever you get it, Im like, Wow, great,
good for you.
Do you think todays hip-hop scene has the same grassroots urgency?
Did the game change? I dont know. I think things gotta change. There were periods when Public Enemy was doing black-power records, and there was a time when Mos Def and Talib Kweli had a real run with a De La Soultype vibe. There is a time when its bling and diamonds, and theres a time when Kanye West sneaks through with a social message. And theres a time when Run ends up on MTV with a reality show, and hes a reverend and has a new album coming out.I just get on the ride at the amusement park called Change. Be involved, groove with it, watch the youth do what they do. And watch God let rain what he wants to rain for these four years or however long bling-bling will last. Better than saying Im tired of it, like the old man who did the same thing to me. [Old people used to say:] Theyre not wearing shoestrings and theyre rude, forgetting that they wore dashikis and had picks in the back of their hair when they were young.
REV. RUN | Distortion (Russell Simmons Music Group)